Sooner
by SabesBabe
Summary: Logan should have gotten there sooner to get to him. . . Rated M for language


Sooner

Rated M for language

* * *

Logan was sitting on his bed in the bunks at the base camp somewhere in Africa, leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees, head head down, hands together, gripping so tightly that his knuckles were white. He had been sitting there like that for the last three hours.

Victor, his half brother, stood in the entrance of the tent, his arms crossed, watching him, worry in his eyes. Usually after a raid on enemy's turf, Logan was his normal self, all happy and laughing at the jokes that were cracked by himself or Victor, but not this time.

This time, the raid had gone horribly wrong.

Like a nightmare.

But real.

Every time Logan closed his eyes, he could see what happened. He then opened his hands and put his face in them, his shoulders starting to shake. That caused Victor to walk over to Logan. He stood before him for a few seconds then he sat down beside him on the cot.

Logan felt the mattress sink, but he didn't look up at all. He felt his brother's arm wrap around him, pulling him to his side. Logan leaned into him, turning his torso, curling up slightly.

"Jimmy. . ."

Logan pulled his hands away from his face, and leaned his head onto Victor's shoulder, his hands resting on his lap. His shoulders shook more, his eyes still closed.

"I. . .I'm a monster," Logan said, his voice breaking.

"It wasn't yer fault."

"Yes it was!" he said. "I shoulda sense him!"

"There was a lot goin' on," Victor told him, half hugging him, looking down at him.

"That doesn't mean shit!" Logan looked up at Victor, tears falling from his eyes. "I fuckin' let a kid get shot! He was just a boy!"

"No ya didn't, Jimmy," Victor assured him.

"If I had gotten there sooner, then I could have taken that fuckin' bullet for the kid! I was too late! The boy died right there in my arms."

_Logan saw the soldier from a distance aiming his gun at a crowd of people as they were running away, a small boy stuck right in the middle, getting knocked over. The soldier cocked the gun, bringing the gun to aim again, his trigger finger getting ready to squeeze. _

_Logan screamed to him to stop as he started running for him and the boy. It was like slow motion, Logan wasn't fast enough. The gun fired as Logan was halfway there. The bullet lodged between his ribs, throwing him back. _

_Logan skidded to a stop, falling to his knees by the boy's side, ripping the boy's shirt apart as other soldiers came and took the gunman away. Logan removed his outer shirt and pressed it hard against the wound to try and stop the bleeding. The boy tried to talk, but Logan hushed him. _

"_Don't talk, save yer energy, kid," he said, looking him in the eyes. _

_The shirt was soaking up a lot of blood, but the bleeding wouldn't stop. Logan pressed down harder, causing the boy to cry out. _

"_It's okay, kid, yer gonna be okay."_

_He used his free hand to put his blood stained hand around the back of the boy's head, his thumb caressing his head, trying to sooth him. Medics were trying to hurry to get supplies and a gurney for the boy. They were 200 yards away. Every time Logan tried to move the boy, it caused him more pain. _

_The boy looked Logan in the eyes, his own eyes drooping, he was barley breathing. He said something, but it was too quiet for Logan to hear. _

"_What did ya say?"_

"_Th-thank you," the boy said, his English fair. "For helping me."_

_Logan's lips narrowed and he gave a nod to the boy. "Yer welcome, kid."_

_The boy's eyes then closed and he stopped breathing. _

_Logan frowned and shook him. "Kid?"_

_He didn't move at all, dead. _

_Logan looked down at the ground, removing his other hand, it was now stained with blood from the shirt. He gently set the boy's head down on the ground. The medics arrived too late. The boy's mother rushed over after being pushed out earlier by the crowd. She then cried out in agony, falling to her knees as she grabbed her boy and hugged the lifeless body, crying in her native tongue. _

_Logan stood up, a blank expression on his face as he walked away from the woman and the dead child, it felt like he was a ghost, walking passed everyone, heading for the bunker tents._

Tears fell down Logan's cheeks and he buried his face into Victor's neck, his fists gripping Victor's shirt as he let it all out, sobbing and howling in agony. Victor put his other arm around Logan and he held him, rubbing circles into his back.

"It will be okay, Jimmy, it will be okay," he said softly.


End file.
